Artist's Perspective

09 July 2013 -- 190/365

Narragansett, Rhode Island

Taking advantage of a cool, overcast morning that would not result in heavy beach traffic, I headed to the Point Judith Lighthouse hoping to find some surfers. The water was flat and the surfers nonexistent, however I did spot this artist setup on a hill to sketch the Coast Guard headquarters at the lighthouse. That jet black umbrella she setup dominated the hazy sky, but it did serve its purpose in preventing any glare from hitting her sketch board. Her sketch at this point was so faint that only a hint of shape was taking place on the paper, and given the lighting, that was not going to appear in the photo.

Post processing started with a neutral greyscale filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted the color sensitivity sliders, followed by adaptive exposure, and contrast. In PSE I added a dodge and burn combination on the umbrella to at least bring out a hint of the spokes; it was jet black before any processing. I also added a levels adjustment and a sepia photo filter.

Taken in 2012.

Prtince Street in Soho. When I first saw this area in the 1970s, crowds like this were unknown and shops like these (Calvin Klein, Michael Kors) were nonexistent. It was already called Soho -- the name was coined in 1968 but had little cachet before the 80s. I remember once coming down here from midtown, eating at a restaurant on Spring Street (a block from here) that I'd read about in the Times, and then walking down to a photo exhibit at a gallery on White Street in Tribeca. There was nothing to see along the way.

Chicago politics, where voting is such a revered civic duty that people do it even after they're dead, cold, stiff, stuffed, boxed and buried beneath the permafrost for years, has now come to D.C. with the Obama administration.

This afternoon comes the most encouraging economic news, courtesy of our keen-eyed buddy Rick Klein over at ABC, that the Obama administration's $787-billion economic stimulus has, for example, thankfully created 30 new jobs in a little-known rural corner of Arizona at a cost to American taxpayers of only $761,420.

That works out to only $25,380.67 spent to create each individual job.

Seems like a lot per slot, but those 30 folks must be happy to be employed again and paying taxes.

This will be a real feather in the cap of Vice President Joe Biden, who's been left behind and assigned by the ever-campaigning president to monitor the stimulus plan, its spending and effectiveness moving into the crucial midterm elections of 2010. Might the Democrats snatch that House seat?

So the people of that 15th Congressional District in staunchly Republican Arizona should be pretty happy about this.

Trouble is, there is no 15th Congressional District in Arizona. None. Nada. Zip. Zero. Doesn't exist. Not in Arizona. Not even on paper at the Democratic National Committee. There are only eight. Period.

But the administration's much-vaunted recovery.gov website reported these jobs as being created there.

Could well be a computer glitch. Lord knows humans would never make such a dumb, misleading mistake, even in politics.

But then the trouble is that just months after grandly unveiling the recovery.gov website to showcase its economic prowess and tech-savvy, the Obama administration just spent 18 million additional taxpayer dollars to redesign the still new website.

And that site proudly also reported nonexistent new stimulus spending not just in Arizona but other states across the country.

So that looks to have worked pretty well, at least if you're counting computer designer jobs created.

Anyway, how do you think the 15th will vote next year?

-- Andrew Malcolm

i suppose they thought this a "creative" cover but note the mirrored cracks in the wall: this was actually printed on a narrow strip of green-painted stucco after Jones' death, a highly unlikely portrait of him against this nonexistent "wall". typical journalistic procedures.

I was visiting Fredericksburg for the weekend and decided I had to make it a point to document some N&W CPL signals before they're inevitably gone. I left Fredericksburg at 7 am, drove through almost two straight hours of violent downpours, and finally landed here. Cell service was nonexistent which I hadn't initially considered. My navigation didn't work so I had to use my internal compass to find exactly where this location was. Lo and behold at 8:40 the rain stopped and I found them. I stood there a good while admiring how fascinatingly ginormous they are in person. I'm hoping to make it back down soon with enough time to actually see a train pass these.

Here we're looking south. It appears NS did some clearing of brush to our right recently perhaps to clear for maintenance access. It makes for a great shot for those looking to catch something here.

Marsh Master Guide Service

Leeville, Louisiana

on Bayou LaFourche

LaFourche Parish

Leeville was settled by flood victims. On October 1, 1893, a hurricane wiped out the area's main settlement, Caminadaville, which sat on a spit of land bordered on three sides by the Gulf and on the fourth by swamp. Nearly half of Caminadaville's inhabitants perished in the storm, most by drowning, some when the buildings they had taken refuge in collapsed.

Survivors sailed up the bayou in their damaged canots and began buying land from an orange-grower named Peter Lee, who was selling plots for $12.50 each. For sixteen years, they fished, planted rice, and held fais do-do dancing parties in homes with covered verandas.

Then, in 1909, the Leeville Hurricane struck. (A contemporary newspaper account described survivors of that storm subsisting on drowned rabbit.) Six years later, a third hurricane forced residents to flee north once more. According to local legend, the storm surge carried one house from Leeville nine miles inland. The owner simply bought the plot underneath it and moved back in.

In the nineteen-thirties, Leeville rebounded briefly. Oil was discovered in the area, and by the end of the decade there were ninety-eight producing wells in town. The pay was good and regulation nonexistent. Blowouts routinely rained sulfur and brine onto the houses, into the cisterns, over the trees. Tin roofs corroded and vegetable gardens shrivelled up. When the wells ran dry, oil production moved offshore and Leeville was again deserted.

There were no more jobs, and the town itself had begun to wash away. Where once men in straw hats picked oranges and harvested rice, today there is mostly open water.

from: www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-15339115_ITM

ucmmuseum.com/leesville.htm

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission. The Purchasing Commission approached North American Aviation to build Curtiss P-40 fighters under license for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Rather than build an old design from another company, North American Aviation proposed the design and production of a more modern fighter. The prototype NA-73X airframe was rolled out on 9 September 1940, 102 days after the contract was signed, and first flew on 26 October.

However, with the end of hostilities in Europe in May 1945 the P-51E contract was cancelled, as well as the option for more aircraft. Altogether only 363 lightweight P-51Es were completed and reached frontline units, exclusively operating with the 8th and 9th Fighter Command.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 33 ft 3 in (10,15 m)

Wingspan: 37 ft 0 in (11,28 m)

Height: 13 ft 4½ in (4,08 m)

Wing area: 234 sq ft (21,81 m²)

Airfoil: NACA 66(2)-215

Empty weight: 5,792 lb (2.630 kg)

Loaded weight: 7,268 lb (3.300 kg)

Max. take-off weight: 9,559 lb (4.340 kg)

Maximum fuel capacity: 419 US gal (349 imp gal; 1,590 l)

Powerplant:

1× Packard V-1650-9 liquid-cooled V-12 with 2-stage intercooled supercharger,

delivering 1,380 hp (1,030 kW), 2,218 hp (1,655 kW) WEP with Water methanol injection,

driving a Hamilton Standard constant-speed, variable-pitch three blade propeller with

a 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) diameter

Performance:

Maximum speed: 472 mph (760 km/h; 410 kn) at 21,200 ft (6,500 m)

Cruise speed: 362 mph (315 kn, 580 km/h)

Stall speed: 100 mph (87 kn, 160 km/h)

Range: 1,650 mi (1,434 nmi, 2,755 km) with external tanks

Service ceiling: 41,900 ft (12,800 m)

Rate of climb: 3,200 ft/min (16.3 m/s)

Wing loading: 39 lb/sqft (192 kg/m²)

Power/mass: 0.18 hp/lb (300 W/kg)

Lift-to-drag ratio: 14.6

Recommended Mach limit 0.8

Armament:

4× 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns with 400 RPG

A pair of underwing hardpoints for a pair of drop tanks

or bombs of 100 lb (45 kg), 250 lb (113 kg) or 500 lb (226 kg) caliber

The kit and its assembly:

A project that was more complex than obvious at first glance. The plan was to create a “missing link” between the WWII P-51D and its lightweight sibling P-51H, which came too late in WWII to take seriously part in any combat. There actually were some “interim” designs, which paved the way (the F, G and J models), with lightweight hulls or different engines. My plan was to adopt some details of these aircraft to create the fictional P-51E.

For a look that subtly differs from the well-known P-51D I decided light-headedly to bash two Academy models together: a P-51D hull, mixed with the wings and tail from a P-51B/C kit, plus some inter-kit and external donors. What sounds simple turned out to be a major surgery task, though, because both kits are totally different, produced with individual moulds and few interchangeable parts! Even details which you’d expect to me identical (e. g. wing tip and tail shape) differ markedly.

For the P-51E kitbash the fuselage with cockpit, engine and radiator bath was taken from the P-51D, while the tail and the wings were taken from the P-51B/C, because they were slightly bigger, “edgier”, lacked the fin fillet and featured only four machine guns in the wings. Mating these parts called for many adaptations and massive PSR, though. To change the look further I removed the small wing leading edge extensions, for a completely straight edge, and the cowling was changed to look like a mix of the P-51F and J prototypes. The carburetor intake disappeared and a part of the P-51D spinner was used to extend the fuselage a little. A completely new three-blade propeller was scratched, using a Yokosuka D4Y spinner, a piece from an ESCI Ka-34 Hokum main rotor, and clipped blades from a Hasegawa F5U. A styrene tube was added to hold the propeller’s new metal axis. To compensate for the longer nose the rear fuselage a 2mm section of the P-51D hull was retained in front of the transplanted P-51B/C tail (which is a separate hull section, the -D has an integral tail).

The original exhausts were replaced with resin aftermarket pieces for P-400 Airacobra from Quickboost - for which the nose extension paid out, because the V-1710 exhaust arrangement is longer than the Merlin's.

Painting and markings:

I wanted a typical, potentially colorful USAAF livery from early 1945 for this what-if aircraft model. This meant that the aircraft would have a NMF livery, and Invasion Stripes or other ID markings were already removed or not applied to new aircraft anymore. Camouflage had been omitted from 1945, too. As squadron markings I went for the 357th FG red-and-yellow nose markings; these came with Academy’s P-51B/C kit, but I replaced them with decals from a Mistercraft/Intech kit from The Stash™ because their shape was simpler and would (probably) better match the modified lower nose. Searching for later P-51Ds of this group revealed that the aircraft hardly carried any other colorful marking, though – just the tactical code, and maybe some personal markings.

To keep in style I adapted this basis, using a tone called “White Aluminum (RAL 9006)” from a Duplicolor rattle can as an overall basis, but added a thin red edge to the olive drab (Revell 46) anti-glare panel, created with generic decal stripes. The rudder as well as the wing tips were painted in red, an official 363rd FS ID marking, as a counterbalance to the prominent nose, too.

The propeller spinner was painted free-handedly, in an attempt to match the checker decal's colors. Some hull panels were painted in a darker shade of aluminum to make the model look mo0re lively, and some post-shading with Humbrol Matt Aluminum Metallizer was done to improve that effect, too. Cockpit and landing gear wells were painted in a bright green zinc chromate primer tone.

Decals and markings were puzzled together from various sources. Finding a suitable 'B6' code fpr the 363rd FS was tough, but I was eventually able to scratch it from 'P9' codes from two Academy P-47D kits/sheets! BTW, the horizontal bar above the aircraft's individual letter was a real world marking for a second aircraft that bore this tactical code within the unit. The nose art/tag was also donated from an Academy P-47, the yellow font matches the rest of the unit colors well.

The anti glare panel and the propeller blades received a matt varnish coat, while the rest of the hull was covered with a mix of matt and a little semi-gloss varnish - contemporary Mustang photos from 1945 suggest that, despite being bare metal, the aircraft were not polished or shiny at all, yet the aluminum would have some reflections. I think that the final overall finish looks quite good. As a final step I added some light soot stains behind the exhausts and the machine gun orifices, and dry-brushed some silver on edges/areas where paint could have flaked in real life. Not much, but it adds to the overall impression of a used aircraft.

A more demanding project than meets the eye. Bashing the two Mustang kits for a fictional new one might have been a smart idea, but it turned out to be a nightmare because the two 1:72 Mustand Academy kits are totally incompatible. Additionally, the mods I made are VERY subtle, it takes a keen eye to recognize the lengthened hull, the modfied cowling and the cleaner tail. The three-blade prop is the most obvious thing, and with it, from certain angles, the P-51E reminds somewhat of a Yak-9? Probably due to the intake-less cowling and the (for a Mustang) unusual prop? The livery looks plausible and colorful, though. :D

June 24, 1952: EYE CANDY FOR ANN ARBOR POLITICAL JUNKIES: The man standing in the doorway at left is a real Looker, for sure. No, really! His name was Fred J. Looker, and he was our town's City Clerk as far back as I could remember -- from the dawning of my awareness, and for years thereafter. In this ceremonial photo from the archives of the old "Ann Arbor News," Looker is turning over the keys to the Sixth Ward Polling Place, a small building then on Forest Avenue (but now the rerouted end of Washtenaw), where residents of that now-nonexistent ward voted in several elections and primaries each year. Recipient of the keys on this day was Col. R. M. Lawson (at right), the head of Army and Air Force recruiting in Michigan. This was a more visible office for local recruiters, who formerly had been in the basement of the Armory downtown. Here they would be closer to the target population of young men, many of whom attended the University. The recruiters promised to vacate the premises on polling days, by terms of a rent-free agreement with the city. A new city charter, adopted in 1955, eliminated wards six and seven, changing to a system of five wards, shaped like wedges of a pie. This building was converted to a residence long ago, and extensively remodeled in recent years.

Nonexistent discs by nonexistent bands.

Inspired by

This series of photos shows our cruise ship's journey along the Fiordland coast between Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, and then our looping route in one entrance to this enormous fiord and out another. The reaction of my fellow passengers to this magnificent New Zealand scenery was, in itself, wonderful to observe.

•Doubtful Sound is a very large and naturally imposing fiord in Fiordland, in the far south west of New Zealand. Doubtful Sound was named 'Doubtful Harbour' in 1770 by Captain Cook, who did not enter the inlet as he was uncertain whether it was navigable under sail. It was later renamed Doubtful Sound by whalers and sealers. There are three distinct arms to the sound, which is the site of several large waterfalls, notably Helena Falls at Deep Cove, and the Browne Falls which have a fall of over 600 metres. The steep hills are known for their hundreds of waterfalls during the rainy season. Access to the sound is either by sea, or by the Wilmot Pass road from the Manapouri Power Station. Most areas of the sound itself are only accessible by sea however, as the road network in this area of New Zealand is sparse or nonexistent, as is the human population. Doubtful Sound is unusual in that it contains two distinct layers of water that scarcely mix. The top few meters is fresh water, fed from the high inflows from the surrounding mountains, and stained brown with tannins from the forest. Below this is a layer of cold, heavy, saline water from the sea. The dark tannins in the fresh water layer makes it difficult for light to penetrate. Thus, many deep-sea species will grow in the comparatively shallow depths of the Sound.

Fort Greene Park, Fort Greene Historic District , Brooklyn

The Prison Ship Martyrs Monument that stands today in the center of Fort Greene Park is a 1908 memorial to the 11,000 men and boys who died in horrid conditions on the British Prison Ships during the Revolutionary War. The Monument, which is sometimes referred to as the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, stands in the center of what was once called Fort Putnam, an actual Revolutionary War fort, named after Gernal Putnam. The Monument you see today is actually the third incarnation of this sacred shrine. The story of the horrid Prison Ships – and the ghastly conditions suffered by the men and boys imprisoned on them during the Revolutionary War – is one of the most disturbing chapters in American history.

During the American Revolutionary War, which began in 1775, the British arrested scores of soldiers, sailors, and private citizens on both land and sea. Many were apprehended simply because they would not swear allegiance to the Crown of England. Besides American civilians and resistance fighters, the British captured the crews of foreign ships on the high seas, especially Spanish vessels. The soldiers, sailors and civilians they arrested were deemed by the British to be prisoners of war and were incarcerated. When the British ran out of jail space to house their POWs they began using decommissioned or damaged war ships that were anchored in Wallabout Bay as floating prisons.

Life was unbearable on the prison ships, the most notorious of them being the Old Jersey – which was called "Hell" by the inhabitants. Disease was rampant, food and water were scarce or nonexistent, and the living conditions were horrendously overcrowded and wretched. If one had money they could purchase food from the many entrepreneurs who rowed up to the boat to sell their wares. Otherwise, the meager rations would consist of sawdust laden bread or watery soup.

A great number of the captives died from disease and malnutrition. Their emaciated bodies were either thrown overboard or buried in shallow graves in the sandy marshes of Wallabout Bay. Even thought the British surrendered at Yorktown. Virginia in 1782, the surviving prisoners were not freed until 1783, when the British abandoned New York City. (A footnote: after the war, the British Commander in charge of the Prison Ships was brought up on war crimes charges and was subsequently hanged.)

The "Old Jersey"

In the years following the war the bones of the patriots would regularly wash up along the shores of Brooklyn and Long Island. These remains were collected by Brooklynites with the hopes of creating a permanent resting place for the remains of the brave Prison Ship Martyrs. In the early 1880's the first Martyrs Monument monument was erected by the Tammany Society of New York. It was located on a triangular plot of land near the Brooklyn Navy Yard waterfront in what is now called Vinegar Hill.

By the 1840s, the original monument was in a state of disrepair and neglect. By 1873 a large stone crypt was constructed in the heart of what is now Fort Greene Park (then called Washington Park), and the bones were re-interred in the crypt. A small monument was erected on the hill above the crypt.

By the close of the 19th century, funds were finally raised for a grander more fitting monument for the Prison Ship Martyrs. The prestigious architectural firm of McKim. Meade and White was commissioned to design the large 148 ft. tower which stands today in the park. It was unveiled in 1908 with a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony presided over by President-Elect Taft.

Sadly, over the ensuing decades the monument was severely neglected. Due to shortage of public funds, urban blight and lack of community interest both the park and the memorial fell into disrepair. The monument originally housed a staircase and elevator to the top observation deck, which featured a lighted urn with a beacon of light which could be seen for miles. The elevator was operational until the 1930s but was unfortunately removed by the city in the early 1970s.

Since it founding in 1998, the Fort Greene Park Conservancy has been a catalyst for the restoration and revival of both the monument and the park. In November 2008 a grand weekend event is planned to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the 1908 Prison Ships Martyrs Memorial.

Somewhere in the late 18th century, the cultivation and marketing of tobacco marks the development of the site. Therefore beneficial, reconstruction of the settlement we now call "Old Town".

A small crosses from the modern city and go to the stone-built streets of a dream state. One moment only and the time course of changes. Migrates in the past, the aesthetics of a prior era when houses were writing their history with a personal touch. Walking to the Old Town meet the Municipal Art Gallery , the Folk Museum, the Cathedral Square and other important buildings and of course ... people who are distant, but have the sun in the eyes and the friendliness of the soul ... A "good morning" that is warmer and the intimacy ...

The Old Town is preserved village, well preserved and enviable example of urban planning. Has a human face, the houses seem to talk to each other, their voices filled the streets and courtyards.

Small gardens where the honeysuckle few passerby and Jasmine boasts its flowers, gates vying for the appearance of the railing, doors, carved by skilled carpenters - a feast of creation ...

The colors of the houses, the first family of landscape, distances nonexistent, direct communication. And it is truly wonderful to see more children playing in the streets and women to sit on street corners chatting everyday. If you want to feel carefree, to enjoy a peaceful stroll, chewing sweets or eating ice cream, but with eyes enriched architectural beauties , move the square Antique for a trek in the past.

George Quinones as Pole Scavenger, Liam Day as Scavenger Guard, Lance Herota as Pole Walker, Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes - The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 7 - Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

RICK AND JADIS REDUX

Last week Rick found himself trapped again by Jadis and her group of garbage dump-dwellers, and “Time for After” checks in with the pair throughout its running time. Rick is routinely trotted out half-naked from a shipping container to be photographed by Jadis for “sculpting” purposes, and is flatly ignored when he offers her a deal. The situation comes to a head when Jadis finally decides to execute Rick by putting him up against another gladiator-style walker with a spike-ridden helmet, similar to the battle he faced last season. It’s another effective Mad Max-style sequence, building on Jadis’ cult-like ritualism and offbeat linguistic quirks. Rick, of course, manages to turn the walker against Jadis to coerce her into negotiating, and she finally agrees to help — on the condition that she get one-fourth of the Saviors’ supplies.

While his gambit was successful, I was left scratching my head as to why Rick would go to such great lengths to add Jadis’ group to his coalition when it’s clear they cannot be trusted and will likely only betray him again. It would seem easier to enlist Oceanside’s all-female militia instead — something that may very well happen in the future. But Jadis, who has long since overstayed her welcome on the show, has become another novelty character with a nonexistent backstory that can no longer really be excused.

Whatever the show has planned for her and Rick, it may not matter much. In the final scene of “Time for After,” Rick leads Jadis and some of her people to a water tower to scout out the Sanctuary. They discover Daryl’s truck smashed into the building, with the walkers nowhere to be found. Whether Eugene succeeded and Negan is now free, or if this is just the aftermath of Daryl’s plot, is left unclear. But in the final close-up, it’s obvious Rick is not happy, as actor Andrew Lincoln looks like he has just seen the world end.

Whenever we hear of dirty cops falsifying evidence, we ALL pay attention. Yet — when the city attorneys deliberately mislead the court, the Courts do NOT want to hear it and neither do the Bar Associations. So, who will police dirty city attorneys?

Generally — the city attorneys come armed with enormous budgets and start with reputation damage through their PR machines, hoping to distract the Truth from reaching an audience. This is strategic — by insulting the opponent, you now hear with a biased view.

When the San Francisco City Attorney sought to retaliate against black landlord, Anne Kihagi, who called them out on their misuse of the building department, they framed her as a slumlord. This made most people NOT listen to the truth and allowed the Court’s to disregard the law.

But in this case, look at ALL the pictures of this BLACK Landlord’s buildings– and see if she’s a Slumlord. The City Attorney made releases alluding to Ms. Kihagi being a slumlord, yet her buildings are better than 90% of the Condos in San Francisco. Why have we all not questioned that simple, irrational yet — intentionally biased and perverted insult. Ms. Kihagi is extremely proud of the beautiful buildings she owns and was offended by this insult — and trusts our intelligence as we can choose to see the pictures which speak louder than insults.

Normally we catch dirty cops on video, but we have to Read and Sort out the truth especially when it is being orchestrated through the legal process.

Should we NOT care when this dirty lawyering and ignorance of laws corrupts the legal system. How much pain is enough for the Courts to investigate the truth? Why has no one taken time to investigate these abuses? Ms. Kihagi is unveiling the dirtiest cover up and abuse of law with evidence. Yet — it’s all racially driven– and happening in one of the cities we consider “Forward” — so it gets less attention as we believe racial abuse only happens in the “Other” cities. Which is precisely why the City Attorneys and the Courts have failed to follow the law.

Ms. Kihagi, has been subjected to such treachery, and has vowed to be relentless until a true investigation into the more than 20 misrepresentations that were made are resolved.

We will detail over 20 violations of laws and misrepresentations — in a system that has enabled tenants to present false evidence — city attorney who knew the truth, but thought the means justified the end. This will stop — as we show you how more than $25 million has been at play and a ploy to forcibly take money from the black owner through ALL means possible.

Isn’t this another form of Slavery — the same attitude that prevailed and why slaves couldn’t own anything? It is the same reason why we are quick to believe that a BLACK LANDLORD must have done something wrong to be successful. But — we are challenging you to investigate the corruption in the City Attorney’s office and how the San Francisco Court has allowed them to get away with it.

This should be an easy challenge — let’s get past their game of tarnishing her reputation and now read the evidence of these tenants who lied to the courts with impunity. Let us look at one example that resulted in over $130,000 in penalties plus attorneys’ fees of six-times bonus for these same city attorneys.

In City of San Francisco v. Kihagi, deliberate one-sided focus on tenants’ allegations left Ms. Kihagi vulnerable, despite many questionable and even baseless accusations. In one instance, tenants were previously displaced on the basis of an owner move-in eviction (OMI). Under an owner move-in eviction in San Francisco, the property owner has the legal obligation to move into the evacuated unit for 36 months and is prohibited from offering a lease on this unit. The previous occupants found an ad on Craigslist for what they thought was the same unit they had once leased.

As a result, the City Attorney sent an investigator to an open house for this listing and found that this was not the same unit at all. The previous tenant even sent his own investigators and confirmed it was indeed a different unit. In fact, other tenants witnessed Kihagi living in the OMI-affected unit and the mob formed against Kihagi even hosted protest at her building. On Thursday, January 8, 2015, Deputy City Attorney Weiss emailed the former tenant: “Hi Kelly, we sent an investigator to the open house for the Craigslist advertised unit last night. Unfortunately, the unit being shown was Unit 3 which has no legal restrictions on it, as far as I know.” The City investigators were sent to snoop on Kihagi’s open house even though Kelly, the former tenant, already knew that it was not his unit; he had sent an email on Tuesday, January 6, stating “I’ll get a full report Wednesday once my friend gets done viewing.” Weiss and the former tenant were grasping at straws to amass valid claims against Kihagi, but they were not alone.

A separate January 8th email from Weiss to another deputy City Attorney, Victoria Weatherford, stated, “As I wrote to Kelly… our investigator reported that the unit being shown last night on 18th Street was unit 3, not Kelly’s.” This exchange reveals another member of the City Attorney’s Office was also apprised of its irrelevance.

Despite these confirmations, Mr. Weiss presented the Craigslist ad as evidence to show San Francisco Court’s Judge Bradstreet that Kihagi had not only displaced a tenant, but that the unit was being rented for a profit. Why would city attorney Weiss want the court to rely on such evidence while aware they did not stand for the proposition he was making? Why would the other deputy attorney Weatherford sit silently in court while such evidence was presented? This false testimony led to city being awarded about $130,000 in penalties and attorney fees of approximately $400,000 for an entirely nonexistent violation. This is only an example of numerous false evidences presented in this trial.

Yet — the court ignored the evidence and Ms. Kihagi now has to file an action against such practice which the courts know most people cannot afford to do. Why should anyone be subjected to such dishonest public officers?

Will you join us by taking action on this campaign?

campaigns.organizefor.org/petitions/stop-dirty-s-f-city-a...

For information on Anna Kihagi please go to annekihagisf.com

First shots with Sony DSC-HX200V.

Another photo at 1X shows location telephoto shot was taken from.

Mendon Ponds Park is owned and very poorly maintained by the County of Monroe, NY.

Unfortunately, this extraordinary property is rapidly deteriorating due to an egregious lack of care. Trails are not cleared of debris... signs are useless. Park maintenance is essentially nonexistent. They do have a marketing department. Seriously, the taxpayers are paying the salaries of a county parks marketing department.

Email Mendon Ponds Park complaints to: countyexecutive@monroecounty.gov

· Discarded cardboard boxes for transporting bikes on Amtrak, outside the Emeryville Amtrak station.

Some friends of mine were woken up in the middle of the night on Amtrak and told, on the basis of nonexistent policy, that they must remove (or buy two of these boxes for) their folded Brompton bicycles. The whole saga can be read here.

Update (18-Dec-2013): Amtrak policy clarification: folding bikes always allowed as carry-ons.

I went to Loch Ashie hunting photos of the wooden pier, to find the place a wreck, warning signs from Northern Scotland Water deterring people and animals from playing in the water, the pier nonexistent, several nice pines sadly fallen by the wayside, a small fuzzy dog who came up and said hello to me. The most interesting scene I could find was this, in the concrete water run-off.

Detail of water flowing around a submerged rock.

Mendon Ponds Park is owned and very poorly maintained by the County of Monroe, NY.

Unfortunately, this extraordinary property is rapidly deteriorating due to an egregious lack of care. Trails are not cleared of debris... signs are useless. Park maintenance is essentially nonexistent. They do have a marketing department. Seriously, the taxpayers are paying the salaries of a county parks marketing department.

Email Mendon Ponds Park complaints to: countyexecutive@monroecounty.gov

Tous les jésuites du monde sont dans une obéissance absolue, et selon leur formule « S’abandonner comme un cadavre », ils sont comme des robots entre les mains de leurs chefs. Ils forment donc un corps militaire d’élite – à la fois prêtres et guerriers – présent dans tous les pays. C’est une armée démoniaque qui a investi la Terre, et la liaison des jésuites avec les Gris extraterrestres est plus que probable. Ils contrôlent les polices secrètes, les armées et les organismes internationaux.Les ténèbres les plus épaisses qui soient jamais sorties du puits de l'abîme.Le Grand Serment des Fils d’Ignace

Quand un Jésuite est sur le point de s’engager dans les niveaux plus élevés de l’Ordre, il s’agenouille sur une croix rouge devant le Supérieur. Il y a deux drapeaux devant lui, le drapeau jaune et blanc bien connu de la papauté, et le drapeau noir avec une dague et une croix rouge au-dessus d’un crâne, avec des tibias croisés. C’est celui de l’Ordre des Jésuites, conforme au symbolisme maçonnique du grade de maître. La signification des «deux drapeaux» est hautement initiatique. Sur le drapeau jésuite il est écrit : IUSTUM, NECAR, REGES, IMPIOS – l’extermination des rois, des gouvernements et des dirigeants impies – d’après les lettres INRI apposées sur la croix du Christ. Le supérieur de l’Ordre tend au novice élu parmi des dizaines de candidats un crucifix noir qu’il presse sur son cœur. Il lui présente ensuite une dague que le novice saisit par la lame nue et dont il presse la pointe contre son cœur.

Fort Greene Park, Fort Greene Historic District , Brooklyn

The Prison Ship Martyrs Monument that stands today in the center of Fort Greene Park is a 1908 memorial to the 11,000 men and boys who died in horrid conditions on the British Prison Ships during the Revolutionary War. The Monument, which is sometimes referred to as the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, stands in the center of what was once called Fort Putnam, an actual Revolutionary War fort, named after Gernal Putnam. The Monument you see today is actually the third incarnation of this sacred shrine. The story of the horrid Prison Ships – and the ghastly conditions suffered by the men and boys imprisoned on them during the Revolutionary War – is one of the most disturbing chapters in American history.

During the American Revolutionary War, which began in 1775, the British arrested scores of soldiers, sailors, and private citizens on both land and sea. Many were apprehended simply because they would not swear allegiance to the Crown of England. Besides American civilians and resistance fighters, the British captured the crews of foreign ships on the high seas, especially Spanish vessels. The soldiers, sailors and civilians they arrested were deemed by the British to be prisoners of war and were incarcerated. When the British ran out of jail space to house their POWs they began using decommissioned or damaged war ships that were anchored in Wallabout Bay as floating prisons.

Life was unbearable on the prison ships, the most notorious of them being the Old Jersey – which was called "Hell" by the inhabitants. Disease was rampant, food and water were scarce or nonexistent, and the living conditions were horrendously overcrowded and wretched. If one had money they could purchase food from the many entrepreneurs who rowed up to the boat to sell their wares. Otherwise, the meager rations would consist of sawdust laden bread or watery soup.

A great number of the captives died from disease and malnutrition. Their emaciated bodies were either thrown overboard or buried in shallow graves in the sandy marshes of Wallabout Bay. Even thought the British surrendered at Yorktown. Virginia in 1782, the surviving prisoners were not freed until 1783, when the British abandoned New York City. (A footnote: after the war, the British Commander in charge of the Prison Ships was brought up on war crimes charges and was subsequently hanged.)

The "Old Jersey"

In the years following the war the bones of the patriots would regularly wash up along the shores of Brooklyn and Long Island. These remains were collected by Brooklynites with the hopes of creating a permanent resting place for the remains of the brave Prison Ship Martyrs. In the early 1880's the first Martyrs Monument monument was erected by the Tammany Society of New York. It was located on a triangular plot of land near the Brooklyn Navy Yard waterfront in what is now called Vinegar Hill.

By the 1840s, the original monument was in a state of disrepair and neglect. By 1873 a large stone crypt was constructed in the heart of what is now Fort Greene Park (then called Washington Park), and the bones were re-interred in the crypt. A small monument was erected on the hill above the crypt.

By the close of the 19th century, funds were finally raised for a grander more fitting monument for the Prison Ship Martyrs. The prestigious architectural firm of McKim. Meade and White was commissioned to design the large 148 ft. tower which stands today in the park. It was unveiled in 1908 with a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony presided over by President-Elect Taft.

Sadly, over the ensuing decades the monument was severely neglected. Due to shortage of public funds, urban blight and lack of community interest both the park and the memorial fell into disrepair. The monument originally housed a staircase and elevator to the top observation deck, which featured a lighted urn with a beacon of light which could be seen for miles. The elevator was operational until the 1930s but was unfortunately removed by the city in the early 1970s.

Since it founding in 1998, the Fort Greene Park Conservancy has been a catalyst for the restoration and revival of both the monument and the park. In November 2008 a grand weekend event is planned to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the 1908 Prison Ships Martyrs Memorial.

024

Fortune Global Forum 2018

October 16th, 2018

Toronto, Canada

3:30 PM

THE NEW GLOBAL CONSUMER: DOING BUSINESS IN A DIGITAL ECONOMY

The digital economy is no longer part of the economy. It is the economy. How can traditional brick-and-mortar firms reinvent themselves, their supply chains, and their marketplaces to avoid the fate of brands once thought of as everlasting but which are now nonexistent? And how are new platforms – from e-commerce to shared services – rewriting the rules of the game? A conversation on how businesses can manage expectations for digitally empowered customers, and how technology is being used to enhance the customer experience.

Alain Bejjani, Chief Executive Officer, Majid al Futtaim

Andrea Stairs, General Manager, Canada and Latin America, eBay

Ning Tang, Founder and CEO, CreditEase

Moderator: Phil Wahba, Senior Writer, Fortune

Photograph by Stuart Isett/Fortune

A few months ago I found a perfectly preserved hermit crab at the beach that I guess became "freeze-dried" or something. I'm not exactly sure how it became so well preserved, but i'm just glad it did. There's no decay at all, and it just looks and feels like a rock. I guess the sand played a part in the preservation process too. I bet just like with home-done taxidermy with salt/borax, the sand absorbed all the moisture from the animal. The freezing temperatures all winter probably caused the decay to be almost nonexistent.

A duck sits waiting for nonexistent bread. Poor guy.

This series of photos shows our cruise ship's journey along the Fiordland coast between Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, and then our looping route in one entrance to this enormous fiord and out another. The reaction of my fellow passengers to this magnificent New Zealand scenery was, in itself, wonderful to observe.

•Doubtful Sound is a very large and naturally imposing fiord in Fiordland, in the far south west of New Zealand. Doubtful Sound was named 'Doubtful Harbour' in 1770 by Captain Cook, who did not enter the inlet as he was uncertain whether it was navigable under sail. It was later renamed Doubtful Sound by whalers and sealers. There are three distinct arms to the sound, which is the site of several large waterfalls, notably Helena Falls at Deep Cove, and the Browne Falls which have a fall of over 600 metres. The steep hills are known for their hundreds of waterfalls during the rainy season. Access to the sound is either by sea, or by the Wilmot Pass road from the Manapouri Power Station. Most areas of the sound itself are only accessible by sea however, as the road network in this area of New Zealand is sparse or nonexistent, as is the human population. Doubtful Sound is unusual in that it contains two distinct layers of water that scarcely mix. The top few meters is fresh water, fed from the high inflows from the surrounding mountains, and stained brown with tannins from the forest. Below this is a layer of cold, heavy, saline water from the sea. The dark tannins in the fresh water layer makes it difficult for light to penetrate. Thus, many deep-sea species will grow in the comparatively shallow depths of the Sound.

When love is nonexistent: Aesha Mohammadzai had her nose and ears cut off by husband and father-in-law after serving 5 months in Taliban jail. She tried to leave her husband.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission. The Purchasing Commission approached North American Aviation to build Curtiss P-40 fighters under license for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Rather than build an old design from another company, North American Aviation proposed the design and production of a more modern fighter. The prototype NA-73X airframe was rolled out on 9 September 1940, 102 days after the contract was signed, and first flew on 26 October.

However, with the end of hostilities in Europe in May 1945 the P-51E contract was cancelled, as well as the option for more aircraft. Altogether only 363 lightweight P-51Es were completed and reached frontline units, exclusively operating with the 8th and 9th Fighter Command.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 33 ft 3 in (10,15 m)

Wingspan: 37 ft 0 in (11,28 m)

Height: 13 ft 4½ in (4,08 m)

Wing area: 234 sq ft (21,81 m²)

Airfoil: NACA 66(2)-215

Empty weight: 5,792 lb (2.630 kg)

Loaded weight: 7,268 lb (3.300 kg)

Max. take-off weight: 9,559 lb (4.340 kg)

Maximum fuel capacity: 419 US gal (349 imp gal; 1,590 l)

Powerplant:

1× Packard V-1650-9 liquid-cooled V-12 with 2-stage intercooled supercharger,

delivering 1,380 hp (1,030 kW), 2,218 hp (1,655 kW) WEP with Water methanol injection,

driving a Hamilton Standard constant-speed, variable-pitch three blade propeller with

a 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) diameter

Performance:

Maximum speed: 472 mph (760 km/h; 410 kn) at 21,200 ft (6,500 m)

Cruise speed: 362 mph (315 kn, 580 km/h)

Stall speed: 100 mph (87 kn, 160 km/h)

Range: 1,650 mi (1,434 nmi, 2,755 km) with external tanks

Service ceiling: 41,900 ft (12,800 m)

Rate of climb: 3,200 ft/min (16.3 m/s)

Wing loading: 39 lb/sqft (192 kg/m²)

Power/mass: 0.18 hp/lb (300 W/kg)

Lift-to-drag ratio: 14.6

Recommended Mach limit 0.8

Armament:

4× 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns with 400 RPG

A pair of underwing hardpoints for a pair of drop tanks

or bombs of 100 lb (45 kg), 250 lb (113 kg) or 500 lb (226 kg) caliber

The kit and its assembly:

A project that was more complex than obvious at first glance. The plan was to create a “missing link” between the WWII P-51D and its lightweight sibling P-51H, which came too late in WWII to take seriously part in any combat. There actually were some “interim” designs, which paved the way (the F, G and J models), with lightweight hulls or different engines. My plan was to adopt some details of these aircraft to create the fictional P-51E.

For a look that subtly differs from the well-known P-51D I decided light-headedly to bash two Academy models together: a P-51D hull, mixed with the wings and tail from a P-51B/C kit, plus some inter-kit and external donors. What sounds simple turned out to be a major surgery task, though, because both kits are totally different, produced with individual moulds and few interchangeable parts! Even details which you’d expect to me identical (e. g. wing tip and tail shape) differ markedly.

For the P-51E kitbash the fuselage with cockpit, engine and radiator bath was taken from the P-51D, while the tail and the wings were taken from the P-51B/C, because they were slightly bigger, “edgier”, lacked the fin fillet and featured only four machine guns in the wings. Mating these parts called for many adaptations and massive PSR, though. To change the look further I removed the small wing leading edge extensions, for a completely straight edge, and the cowling was changed to look like a mix of the P-51F and J prototypes. The carburetor intake disappeared and a part of the P-51D spinner was used to extend the fuselage a little. A completely new three-blade propeller was scratched, using a Yokosuka D4Y spinner, a piece from an ESCI Ka-34 Hokum main rotor, and clipped blades from a Hasegawa F5U. A styrene tube was added to hold the propeller’s new metal axis. To compensate for the longer nose the rear fuselage a 2mm section of the P-51D hull was retained in front of the transplanted P-51B/C tail (which is a separate hull section, the -D has an integral tail).

The original exhausts were replaced with resin aftermarket pieces for P-400 Airacobra from Quickboost - for which the nose extension paid out, because the V-1710 exhaust arrangement is longer than the Merlin's.

Painting and markings:

I wanted a typical, potentially colorful USAAF livery from early 1945 for this what-if aircraft model. This meant that the aircraft would have a NMF livery, and Invasion Stripes or other ID markings were already removed or not applied to new aircraft anymore. Camouflage had been omitted from 1945, too. As squadron markings I went for the 357th FG red-and-yellow nose markings; these came with Academy’s P-51B/C kit, but I replaced them with decals from a Mistercraft/Intech kit from The Stash™ because their shape was simpler and would (probably) better match the modified lower nose. Searching for later P-51Ds of this group revealed that the aircraft hardly carried any other colorful marking, though – just the tactical code, and maybe some personal markings.

To keep in style I adapted this basis, using a tone called “White Aluminum (RAL 9006)” from a Duplicolor rattle can as an overall basis, but added a thin red edge to the olive drab (Revell 46) anti-glare panel, created with generic decal stripes. The rudder as well as the wing tips were painted in red, an official 363rd FS ID marking, as a counterbalance to the prominent nose, too.

The propeller spinner was painted free-handedly, in an attempt to match the checker decal's colors. Some hull panels were painted in a darker shade of aluminum to make the model look mo0re lively, and some post-shading with Humbrol Matt Aluminum Metallizer was done to improve that effect, too. Cockpit and landing gear wells were painted in a bright green zinc chromate primer tone.

Decals and markings were puzzled together from various sources. Finding a suitable 'B6' code fpr the 363rd FS was tough, but I was eventually able to scratch it from 'P9' codes from two Academy P-47D kits/sheets! BTW, the horizontal bar above the aircraft's individual letter was a real world marking for a second aircraft that bore this tactical code within the unit. The nose art/tag was also donated from an Academy P-47, the yellow font matches the rest of the unit colors well.

The anti glare panel and the propeller blades received a matt varnish coat, while the rest of the hull was covered with a mix of matt and a little semi-gloss varnish - contemporary Mustang photos from 1945 suggest that, despite being bare metal, the aircraft were not polished or shiny at all, yet the aluminum would have some reflections. I think that the final overall finish looks quite good. As a final step I added some light soot stains behind the exhausts and the machine gun orifices, and dry-brushed some silver on edges/areas where paint could have flaked in real life. Not much, but it adds to the overall impression of a used aircraft.

A more demanding project than meets the eye. Bashing the two Mustang kits for a fictional new one might have been a smart idea, but it turned out to be a nightmare because the two 1:72 Mustand Academy kits are totally incompatible. Additionally, the mods I made are VERY subtle, it takes a keen eye to recognize the lengthened hull, the modfied cowling and the cleaner tail. The three-blade prop is the most obvious thing, and with it, from certain angles, the P-51E reminds somewhat of a Yak-9? Probably due to the intake-less cowling and the (for a Mustang) unusual prop? The livery looks plausible and colorful, though. :D

When I was here, only upper classmen and grad students could live here. They were the only ones tough enough. In midwinter, the heat in these rooms varied from nonexistent to unbearable. Some kids would wear parkas 24-7, while others would have the windows wide open and would be nearly nude in the room. They've all been renovated now, and I noticed they even have AC!

A pretty typical shot of a gondola in Venice. I like the way the composition turned out in this shot. Venice was so peaceful and quiet compared to the rest of Italy I saw. I liked how vehicles were nonexistent and all that was heard was the paddling of gondolas and engines of water buses.

Some of the thousand things Edison invented. In the foreground is a model of the Black Maria, a rotatable movie studio he built in West Orange, New Jersey in 1892. The roof opened and the building could be turned toward the sun to provide light for shooting all day. (Studio lighting was otherwise nonexistent.) Nearby are a phonograph and a movie projector.

Originally posted in 2005.

A fantasy depiction of a probably nonexistent thing...

Acetone treated plastic, PhotoShop a little...

I'm gobsmacked by several things here. First, the light was nonexistent. Yet the Sony A7RII performed extremely well at incredibly high ISO. Second, using knowledge developed around a digital Zone System, I knew precisely where I wanted the tonal values and was able to place them accordingly. Third, I am happy to confirm the dynamic range of the sensor extends usefully to below Zone 0 (Zone -2!), even at such high ISO settings. Fourth, 1950s German optics can do the trick. These images were made using a triplet wide angle. Who would design such a thing and make it work? Micro-contrast is something to be seen, otherwise you wouldn't believe it.

And then Erin introduces the lads while I tune my baba's guitar.

The backstory, for those who are unaware: at Erin's last birthday party, she became inspired to ask Cubby and I to sing for her a Ukrainian song. As his Ukrainian is basically nonexistent now, I chose a song we would have learned at school, containing only one word (which is a multi-purpose song of celebration, often, but not only, heard on birthdays). As he didn't know the tune, I got him to draw upon his Ukrainian dancing past and he posed dynamically at Erin from our kitchenette.

Remembering this fondly, she asked if I would sing a Ukrainian song at the wedding. My library of non-Xmas Ukrainian songs is very small. The first song that popped into my head is widely known, has been performed and recorded by countless artists, and is completely inappropriate for a wedding. Naturally, that is the song I chose to sing. I even went further intio naughty territory by adapting some of the lyrics - which were probably only understood by about five people, tops. Great fun, good times, and she was happy. The boys did splendidly.

My neighborhood in East Los Angeles is known to many people as "the ghetto." It has quite the reputation of being a dangerous, gang filled neighborhood that nobody would dare live in. It's not that bad. I've lived here my entire life! I actually live in the house that my mother grew up in. This street, Whittier Boulevard, is two blocks away from my home. It is always busy. I remember my mom telling me that the street was the place, (back in the day) to hop into your new car and cruise up and down on a hot, summer day. Some people still do that, just not in cool, classic cars like "back in the day." About four more blocks down is an old building that used to house the Golden Gate Theatre. This city used to have a lot of artistic buildings and architecture, but you wouldn't know or see that today. That one building is the only remnant of what this city used to be. In the 1920's and 30's this city was not nearly as populated or busy. It was a quiet town kind of like "Pleasantville." (That's according to my grandmother.) There used to be beautiful trees, hills, and traffic was nonexistent! Today, that's all you see here! Cars on top of cars, car dealerships, and pharmacies! East Los Angeles is not a pretty town. It is full of graffiti, strip malls, and endless traffic.

gaze into the nonexistent eyes of the dark gundam......

This particular model of the dark gundam from "Mobile Fighter Gundam G fighter" took 2 days to finish

My childhood home.

This series of photos shows our cruise ship's journey along the Fiordland coast between Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, and then our looping route in one entrance to this enormous fiord and out another. The reaction of my fellow passengers to this magnificent New Zealand scenery was, in itself, wonderful to observe.

•Doubtful Sound is a very large and naturally imposing fiord in Fiordland, in the far south west of New Zealand. Doubtful Sound was named 'Doubtful Harbour' in 1770 by Captain Cook, who did not enter the inlet as he was uncertain whether it was navigable under sail. It was later renamed Doubtful Sound by whalers and sealers. There are three distinct arms to the sound, which is the site of several large waterfalls, notably Helena Falls at Deep Cove, and the Browne Falls which have a fall of over 600 metres. The steep hills are known for their hundreds of waterfalls during the rainy season. Access to the sound is either by sea, or by the Wilmot Pass road from the Manapouri Power Station. Most areas of the sound itself are only accessible by sea however, as the road network in this area of New Zealand is sparse or nonexistent, as is the human population. Doubtful Sound is unusual in that it contains two distinct layers of water that scarcely mix. The top few meters is fresh water, fed from the high inflows from the surrounding mountains, and stained brown with tannins from the forest. Below this is a layer of cold, heavy, saline water from the sea. The dark tannins in the fresh water layer makes it difficult for light to penetrate. Thus, many deep-sea species will grow in the comparatively shallow depths of the Sound.

When love is nonexistent: Aesha Mohammadzai had her nose and ears cut off by husband and father-in-law after serving 5 months in Taliban jail. She tried to leave her husband.

This lovely collection of Mark Twain stories was at the Burien Goodwill this weekend. I had to buy it. I have many of the stories already but this will look so cool on the bookshelf, and I can read the stories I didn't have already.

Interestingly, this edition of this collection is nearly nonexistent on the internet. I see no copies for sale anywhere, and only two library copies (in a quick Google search). My copy is the only one entered on LibraryThing. I don't suppose it's valuable or anything like that... it's awfully pretty, though. And I guess apparently not all that common.

I'm gobsmacked by several things here. First, the light was nonexistent. Yet the Sony A7RII performed extremely well at incredibly high ISO. Second, using knowledge developed around a digital Zone System, I knew precisely where I wanted the tonal values and was able to place them accordingly. Third, I am happy to confirm the dynamic range of the sensor extends usefully to below Zone 0 (Zone -2!), even at such high ISO settings. Fourth, 1950s German optics can do the trick. These images were made using a triplet wide angle. Who would design such a thing and make it work? Micro-contrast is something to be seen, otherwise you wouldn't believe it.

Almost nonexistent.

In 2012, LIPA received the “Readers Choice Award” by Renewable Energy World for the Long Island Solar Farm (LISF) project and for the fourth time was named among the top ten utilities in the United States with the most solar electricity integrated into their energy mix by the Washington, D.C.-based Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) ranking 4th in the Eastern Region, and 9th in the United Sta

tes.

------------------------------------------------

Prior to establishing LIPA’s Solar Pioneer program, the Long Island photovoltaic market was virtually nonexistent. Since 2000, LIPA’s solar programs have provided more than $100 million in rebates to our customers to help offset costs of over 5,600+ solar systems.

In November, 2011 the Long Island Solar Farm, the largest photovoltaic solar plant in the Eastern United States began delivering power to the LIPA grid. This solar photovoltaic power plant is 32 megawatts and has been built through a unique public/private collaboration including BP Solar, LIPA, and the US Department of Energy, located on-site here at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL).

_____________________

Uploaded September 4, 2012

Visit us on Facebook and Twitter

Only a few weeks after an astroturfing controversy surrounded the Watertown Tab's "SpeakOut" section, another political group is alleged to have taken advantage of the TAB. This time, Watertown veterans' names were signed to a letter that one of them, Anthony Aiello, says he was told was to support greater veterans' benefits -- but in fact his name was signed to a letter supporting a Republican political candidate.

Letters to the Editor astroturfing was a common occurrence during the 2004 presidential campaign, where letters to the editor supporting Republican candidates and policies were sent to major newspapers around the nation. Once investigated, some of the signers of the letters were found to be nonexistent, while others were real people who had been told that they'd be signing their name to a letter supporting a different issue or candidate, only to find their name affixed to a new and different letter to the editor that supported a political group's pet issue or campaign.

The 2004 letters proved effective ways to get free space in newspapers; many were not discovered to be fake or fraudulent until after the election. Such coordinated campaigns were intended to make the "Letters" section seem to indicate widespread support for campaigns and issues that were really the province of narrow special interests.

في حمص المحاصرة العدم هو العنوان العريض فبعد سنة و نصف من حصار الموت و الدمار . انعدمت الحياة و مقوماتها من ماء و غذاء و دواء و مواد طاقة , فأنجبت مارد من جوع يستل الأرواح بقسوة و ببطئ , عندما تموت الإنسانية فسترى اجسادا لأناس كطلوع الفجر بنقائهم تذوي و ترحل بعيدا فلا مكان لها بين كروش ممتلئة غدرا و خيانة حينا و حقدا و وحشية حينا أخر

الحاج حيدر المعصراني " أبو حسام "في ذمة الله , قضى جوعا و هل في حضرة الجوع كلمات تشبع الألم ؟؟؟!!!

In besieged Homs nothingness is the headline, where after a year and a half of death and destruction siege. Life necessities water, food, medicine, electricity and diesel nonexistent, there is nothing but hunger was left eating souls cruelly.

When humanity dies you see bodies taken so there is no place for it among stomachs full of treachery and betrayal

Al Haj Haidar Maasrani (Abu Hussam) has passed away, died starvation

Homs est assiégée néant titre Après un an et demi siège de la mort et la destruction. Il ya un manque de vie et de ses composants de l'eau et des matières alimentaires et de la médecine et de l'énergie, l'alésage géant de la faim dégainé vie cruellement et lentement, quand vous mourrez, vous pourrez voir des corps humains comme les humains pureté aube dépérir et les laisser aucune place parmi Tripe pleine trahison et la haine insidieuse et parfois et brutale parfois dernier Haj Haidar Almasrani "Abu Hussam" sous la protection de Dieu, est mort de faim et de la faim, en présence de vous des paroles de saturer

la douleur??!

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission. The Purchasing Commission approached North American Aviation to build Curtiss P-40 fighters under license for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Rather than build an old design from another company, North American Aviation proposed the design and production of a more modern fighter. The prototype NA-73X airframe was rolled out on 9 September 1940, 102 days after the contract was signed, and first flew on 26 October.

However, with the end of hostilities in Europe in May 1945 the P-51E contract was cancelled, as well as the option for more aircraft. Altogether only 363 lightweight P-51Es were completed and reached frontline units, exclusively operating with the 8th and 9th Fighter Command.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 33 ft 3 in (10,15 m)

Wingspan: 37 ft 0 in (11,28 m)

Height: 13 ft 4½ in (4,08 m)

Wing area: 234 sq ft (21,81 m²)

Airfoil: NACA 66(2)-215

Empty weight: 5,792 lb (2.630 kg)

Loaded weight: 7,268 lb (3.300 kg)

Max. take-off weight: 9,559 lb (4.340 kg)

Maximum fuel capacity: 419 US gal (349 imp gal; 1,590 l)

Powerplant:

1× Packard V-1650-9 liquid-cooled V-12 with 2-stage intercooled supercharger,

delivering 1,380 hp (1,030 kW), 2,218 hp (1,655 kW) WEP with Water methanol injection,

driving a Hamilton Standard constant-speed, variable-pitch three blade propeller with

a 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) diameter

Performance:

Maximum speed: 472 mph (760 km/h; 410 kn) at 21,200 ft (6,500 m)

Cruise speed: 362 mph (315 kn, 580 km/h)

Stall speed: 100 mph (87 kn, 160 km/h)

Range: 1,650 mi (1,434 nmi, 2,755 km) with external tanks

Service ceiling: 41,900 ft (12,800 m)

Rate of climb: 3,200 ft/min (16.3 m/s)

Wing loading: 39 lb/sqft (192 kg/m²)

Power/mass: 0.18 hp/lb (300 W/kg)

Lift-to-drag ratio: 14.6

Recommended Mach limit 0.8

Armament:

4× 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns with 400 RPG

A pair of underwing hardpoints for a pair of drop tanks

or bombs of 100 lb (45 kg), 250 lb (113 kg) or 500 lb (226 kg) caliber

The kit and its assembly:

A project that was more complex than obvious at first glance. The plan was to create a “missing link” between the WWII P-51D and its lightweight sibling P-51H, which came too late in WWII to take seriously part in any combat. There actually were some “interim” designs, which paved the way (the F, G and J models), with lightweight hulls or different engines. My plan was to adopt some details of these aircraft to create the fictional P-51E.

For a look that subtly differs from the well-known P-51D I decided light-headedly to bash two Academy models together: a P-51D hull, mixed with the wings and tail from a P-51B/C kit, plus some inter-kit and external donors. What sounds simple turned out to be a major surgery task, though, because both kits are totally different, produced with individual moulds and few interchangeable parts! Even details which you’d expect to me identical (e. g. wing tip and tail shape) differ markedly.

For the P-51E kitbash the fuselage with cockpit, engine and radiator bath was taken from the P-51D, while the tail and the wings were taken from the P-51B/C, because they were slightly bigger, “edgier”, lacked the fin fillet and featured only four machine guns in the wings. Mating these parts called for many adaptations and massive PSR, though. To change the look further I removed the small wing leading edge extensions, for a completely straight edge, and the cowling was changed to look like a mix of the P-51F and J prototypes. The carburetor intake disappeared and a part of the P-51D spinner was used to extend the fuselage a little. A completely new three-blade propeller was scratched, using a Yokosuka D4Y spinner, a piece from an ESCI Ka-34 Hokum main rotor, and clipped blades from a Hasegawa F5U. A styrene tube was added to hold the propeller’s new metal axis. To compensate for the longer nose the rear fuselage a 2mm section of the P-51D hull was retained in front of the transplanted P-51B/C tail (which is a separate hull section, the -D has an integral tail).

The original exhausts were replaced with resin aftermarket pieces for P-400 Airacobra from Quickboost - for which the nose extension paid out, because the V-1710 exhaust arrangement is longer than the Merlin's.

Painting and markings:

I wanted a typical, potentially colorful USAAF livery from early 1945 for this what-if aircraft model. This meant that the aircraft would have a NMF livery, and Invasion Stripes or other ID markings were already removed or not applied to new aircraft anymore. Camouflage had been omitted from 1945, too. As squadron markings I went for the 357th FG red-and-yellow nose markings; these came with Academy’s P-51B/C kit, but I replaced them with decals from a Mistercraft/Intech kit from The Stash™ because their shape was simpler and would (probably) better match the modified lower nose. Searching for later P-51Ds of this group revealed that the aircraft hardly carried any other colorful marking, though – just the tactical code, and maybe some personal markings.

To keep in style I adapted this basis, using a tone called “White Aluminum (RAL 9006)” from a Duplicolor rattle can as an overall basis, but added a thin red edge to the olive drab (Revell 46) anti-glare panel, created with generic decal stripes. The rudder as well as the wing tips were painted in red, an official 363rd FS ID marking, as a counterbalance to the prominent nose, too.

The propeller spinner was painted free-handedly, in an attempt to match the checker decal's colors. Some hull panels were painted in a darker shade of aluminum to make the model look mo0re lively, and some post-shading with Humbrol Matt Aluminum Metallizer was done to improve that effect, too. Cockpit and landing gear wells were painted in a bright green zinc chromate primer tone.

Decals and markings were puzzled together from various sources. Finding a suitable 'B6' code fpr the 363rd FS was tough, but I was eventually able to scratch it from 'P9' codes from two Academy P-47D kits/sheets! BTW, the horizontal bar above the aircraft's individual letter was a real world marking for a second aircraft that bore this tactical code within the unit. The nose art/tag was also donated from an Academy P-47, the yellow font matches the rest of the unit colors well.

The anti glare panel and the propeller blades received a matt varnish coat, while the rest of the hull was covered with a mix of matt and a little semi-gloss varnish - contemporary Mustang photos from 1945 suggest that, despite being bare metal, the aircraft were not polished or shiny at all, yet the aluminum would have some reflections. I think that the final overall finish looks quite good. As a final step I added some light soot stains behind the exhausts and the machine gun orifices, and dry-brushed some silver on edges/areas where paint could have flaked in real life. Not much, but it adds to the overall impression of a used aircraft.

A more demanding project than meets the eye. Bashing the two Mustang kits for a fictional new one might have been a smart idea, but it turned out to be a nightmare because the two 1:72 Mustand Academy kits are totally incompatible. Additionally, the mods I made are VERY subtle, it takes a keen eye to recognize the lengthened hull, the modfied cowling and the cleaner tail. The three-blade prop is the most obvious thing, and with it, from certain angles, the P-51E reminds somewhat of a Yak-9? Probably due to the intake-less cowling and the (for a Mustang) unusual prop? The livery looks plausible and colorful, though. :D

2014-SEP-07; Mark Bauer wrote a letter to the editor which was published in the Dallas Morning News: believe the media, experts and our current administration need to take the Islamic State panic down a notch. Yes, the Islamic State is vicious and they?ve killed two Americans, but they are not a threat to the USA, and in fact they are fighting the bad guy, Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. We?ve been down this road before with the Bush administration looking for nonexistent weapons of mass destruction that cost us thousands of American lives. Taking out Saddam Hussein freed Iran to develop nuclear weapons and has created these sectarian groups. You would think we would have learned. A cool, considerate ?we don?t have a strategy now? is more reassuring than the cries to do something now..

Mark Bauer, Colleyville

Editor's note: Bert's story is adapted from an article in our Spring 2008 newsletter told by Beth Ash and Vicki Huneke, roommates who rescued and cared for Bert for many months before he came to Home for Life® in January 2008.

Bert, originally named Buck, is a Saint Bernard, estimated to be four years old. He spent the first four years of his life on a farm, as on outside dog, with little to no attention. When the farmer got tired of having him around, he placed an ad in the paper to find the dog a better home.

A friend of ours responded to the ad and took pity on the sad looking Saint Bernard, who was found tied up outside with the cows of the farm, sharing silage with them, knee-deep in manure. His coat was matted and dull, and he was slightly underweight. Our friend took the dog with the intention of giving him a better life in their rural home.

This new home had several other dogs besides Bert, all of whom lived in the house. To avoid any confrontations with the pre-existing pets, Bert was left to live outside, away from the house, in a dog kennel made of an old chicken coop. His care was left solely in the hands of a 16 year old girl. While the first few days in his new home may have provided Bert some long-needed attention, he was soon forgotten, and his condition grew worse.

We saw Bert at this new home about a month after he arrived. His 16 year old caregiver was given a demonstration on grooming, and a lecture on its importance. She was also told how Bert needed more attention as well as a much better food than he had been getting. Despite our admonitions, Bert was left in the hands of the teenager, with no supervision or guidance from any responsible adult.

On August 31, 2007, after Bert had been in his new home for about 4 months, we received a phone call from a mutual friend, "You need to go get this dog!" We were told that Bert was thin and very weak. Rushing over, we confronted his owners, and told them we would either come and get the dog immediately or call the sheriff. They agreed to let us take him.

We never would have imagined that Bert would be even worse off than when we had seen him last. But, through his matted coat, touching him made it quite obvious that he was literally SKIN AND BONES! We lifted him to his feet and headed for the truck, but Bert could only walk 50 feet before collapsing.

We got Bert home and tried to feed him but he was too weak to eat. It was Labor Day weekend, and we could not get him to a vet until Tuesday, so we did our best to provide him with nursing care, and keep him alive, until then. We fed him water from a syringe and after a while he was able to eat a few bites of hamburger and bread.

First thing Tuesday morning, we brought Bert to the vet. He could not walk, so we made a sling out of a towel to carry him in. In the back of the clinic, the vets and the vet technicians went to work, checking Bert's teeth, cutting out the mats in his fur, and checking him for heartworm, Lyme disease, and everything else imaginable. They took x-rays and hospitalized him on IV fluids.

By the following morning, Bert was starting to feel a little more alert, though still not well. The barium enema he had been given the previous day had not passed, so with his protein dropping, he underwent emergency surgery to see if there was a block in his intestinal tract. During surgery, the vet took kidney samples to check for cancer, found no blockage in the intestines, but did discover that his pancreas was virtually nonexistent. Bert was immediately started on a pancreatic enzyme powder to help him digest his food. The mystery of his terrible weight loss was solved. After a couple more days at the vet hospital, Bert returned home with us and the recovery process began with three meals a day of prescription food and the pancreatic enzyme.

In the first two weeks back with us, Bert gained about 15 pounds. Once he began to regain his health, though far from completely rehabilitated, he was well enough to go to the dog groomers. Once professionally groomed, he was a beautiful dog.

After a couple of months, Bert was feeling great, but we were unable to find him a new home. Potential adopters passed him by because of his size, heavy coat, and expensive special medical needs. In addition to the pancreatic condition, Bert was showing signs of early-onset arthritis in his hips and hind legs. Eventually, he would also need medicine for stiffness and pain. He might also need physical therapy to stay mobile.

With all of Bert's food and medication expenses coming out of our own pockets, the financial burden was starting to take a terrible toll. We were faced with the decision of whether or not to euthanize Bert. We had grown to love Bert very much, but we already had a large family of animals of our own and a low income. The decision was made and Bert was scheduled to be put down.

The day before Bert's euthanasia appointment, we got word from a friend at the vet clinic that the clinic would donate the food and enzyme for 2–3 weeks to buy him some more time. Bert would get another chance. He continued to live with us and continued gaining weight, finally switching over to non-prescription food and reaching 95 pounds, a real milestone for him—45 pounds more than he weighed when we rescued him six months before. Now all he needed was a home.

Along with the clinic staff, we hoped that Bert's relaxed, open nature would at last attract an adopter. The clinic and staff worked with us to try to find a good match for him. They networked with friends and fellow animal lovers. People heard about Bert's plight and helped to put up posters in the downtown skyways of the metropolitan Twin Cities.

People who saw the posters in downtown St. Paul included some Home for Life® supporters. They contacted Home For Life®, and Bert finally got the break we had all hoped and dreamed of for him. If nobody would take Bert, they asked, would the sanctuary offer him a home? At Home for Life®, Bert would be able to live out the rest of his days surrounded by other special-needs animals, in the care of people who would provide for all his needs and give him lots of love and attention.

On a cold day in late January, we packed up Bert's things and said our goodbyes to this beautiful dog. Bert arrived at the sanctuary, assured of a home for life where he would never face abandonment and hunger again. It was an emotional end to our journey with this big teddy bear, but to him it was just the beginning of a new life.

Postscript:

Bert represents a first for Home For Life® in one way: although many big dogs live at the sanctuary, we have never had a giant breed before. Even our largest dogs look svelte and petite next Bert!

Bert's size might be intimidating, but he has such a gentle and humble nature, and he shows such palpable relief and gratitude for the care he receives, that our staff finds him easygoing and

compliant.

Bert and Penny lounging in the grass

Roommates Bert and Penny rest together after a good summer romp. More: Bert enjoys a run | back to initial picture

Bert has a hammock and couch reserved for his own use. True to his heritage as a mountain dog of the Swiss Alps, he loves the snow. He enjoys trotting along in the meadows after a fresh snowfall, totally unfazed by the cold and wind.

To make Bert more comfortable and forestall the worst effects of his arthritis, Bert attends water therapy in the warm water pool at K9 Hydrotherapy in St. Louis Park, MN. He rooms with Penny, a dainty pitbull/border collie mix who is about his age and less than half his size.

Home For Life® has a tradition of naming dogs after cats who have passed on and vice versa. Out of respect, we never name a cat or dog after a member of the same species who has gone before them. Bert carries on this tradition by bearing the name of our beloved Bert, a very large tabby and white male cat with severe diabetes who lived at Home for Life® for many years.

Nicely posing Willow Flycatcher, low on the trees/shrubs right over the water. While no doubt one or more of the "oh an empid buzzed by" birds I've seen in my life were this species - they're common around here - this is the first one I was able to identify, so a lifer ;-)

I had this photo shoot (and a following less productive one) with this bird, while in one of the gazebos. Shortly after the bird vacated, we had an unexpected rain squall (good timing, being in the roofed gazebo.) Two other birds and I had a nice chat while it rained about what we had seen, and they helped me ID this empid. Around here, that much white beneath combined with the almost-nonexistent eye ring is a good clue for Willow, it's one of the standard empids here that had been reported recently on social media, and Sibley indicates that the 'low above water' behavior is typical for this species. So many other empids do treetops.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission. The Purchasing Commission approached North American Aviation to build Curtiss P-40 fighters under license for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Rather than build an old design from another company, North American Aviation proposed the design and production of a more modern fighter. The prototype NA-73X airframe was rolled out on 9 September 1940, 102 days after the contract was signed, and first flew on 26 October.

However, with the end of hostilities in Europe in May 1945 the P-51E contract was cancelled, as well as the option for more aircraft. Altogether only 363 lightweight P-51Es were completed and reached frontline units, exclusively operating with the 8th and 9th Fighter Command.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 33 ft 3 in (10,15 m)

Wingspan: 37 ft 0 in (11,28 m)

Height: 13 ft 4½ in (4,08 m)

Wing area: 234 sq ft (21,81 m²)

Airfoil: NACA 66(2)-215

Empty weight: 5,792 lb (2.630 kg)

Loaded weight: 7,268 lb (3.300 kg)

Max. take-off weight: 9,559 lb (4.340 kg)

Maximum fuel capacity: 419 US gal (349 imp gal; 1,590 l)

Powerplant:

1× Packard V-1650-9 liquid-cooled V-12 with 2-stage intercooled supercharger,

delivering 1,380 hp (1,030 kW), 2,218 hp (1,655 kW) WEP with Water methanol injection,

driving a Hamilton Standard constant-speed, variable-pitch three blade propeller with

a 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) diameter

Performance:

Maximum speed: 472 mph (760 km/h; 410 kn) at 21,200 ft (6,500 m)

Cruise speed: 362 mph (315 kn, 580 km/h)

Stall speed: 100 mph (87 kn, 160 km/h)

Range: 1,650 mi (1,434 nmi, 2,755 km) with external tanks

Service ceiling: 41,900 ft (12,800 m)

Rate of climb: 3,200 ft/min (16.3 m/s)

Wing loading: 39 lb/sqft (192 kg/m²)

Power/mass: 0.18 hp/lb (300 W/kg)

Lift-to-drag ratio: 14.6

Recommended Mach limit 0.8

Armament:

4× 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns with 400 RPG

A pair of underwing hardpoints for a pair of drop tanks

or bombs of 100 lb (45 kg), 250 lb (113 kg) or 500 lb (226 kg) caliber

The kit and its assembly:

A project that was more complex than obvious at first glance. The plan was to create a “missing link” between the WWII P-51D and its lightweight sibling P-51H, which came too late in WWII to take seriously part in any combat. There actually were some “interim” designs, which paved the way (the F, G and J models), with lightweight hulls or different engines. My plan was to adopt some details of these aircraft to create the fictional P-51E.

For a look that subtly differs from the well-known P-51D I decided light-headedly to bash two Academy models together: a P-51D hull, mixed with the wings and tail from a P-51B/C kit, plus some inter-kit and external donors. What sounds simple turned out to be a major surgery task, though, because both kits are totally different, produced with individual moulds and few interchangeable parts! Even details which you’d expect to me identical (e. g. wing tip and tail shape) differ markedly.

For the P-51E kitbash the fuselage with cockpit, engine and radiator bath was taken from the P-51D, while the tail and the wings were taken from the P-51B/C, because they were slightly bigger, “edgier”, lacked the fin fillet and featured only four machine guns in the wings. Mating these parts called for many adaptations and massive PSR, though. To change the look further I removed the small wing leading edge extensions, for a completely straight edge, and the cowling was changed to look like a mix of the P-51F and J prototypes. The carburetor intake disappeared and a part of the P-51D spinner was used to extend the fuselage a little. A completely new three-blade propeller was scratched, using a Yokosuka D4Y spinner, a piece from an ESCI Ka-34 Hokum main rotor, and clipped blades from a Hasegawa F5U. A styrene tube was added to hold the propeller’s new metal axis. To compensate for the longer nose the rear fuselage a 2mm section of the P-51D hull was retained in front of the transplanted P-51B/C tail (which is a separate hull section, the -D has an integral tail).

The original exhausts were replaced with resin aftermarket pieces for P-400 Airacobra from Quickboost - for which the nose extension paid out, because the V-1710 exhaust arrangement is longer than the Merlin's.

Painting and markings:

I wanted a typical, potentially colorful USAAF livery from early 1945 for this what-if aircraft model. This meant that the aircraft would have a NMF livery, and Invasion Stripes or other ID markings were already removed or not applied to new aircraft anymore. Camouflage had been omitted from 1945, too. As squadron markings I went for the 357th FG red-and-yellow nose markings; these came with Academy’s P-51B/C kit, but I replaced them with decals from a Mistercraft/Intech kit from The Stash™ because their shape was simpler and would (probably) better match the modified lower nose. Searching for later P-51Ds of this group revealed that the aircraft hardly carried any other colorful marking, though – just the tactical code, and maybe some personal markings.

To keep in style I adapted this basis, using a tone called “White Aluminum (RAL 9006)” from a Duplicolor rattle can as an overall basis, but added a thin red edge to the olive drab (Revell 46) anti-glare panel, created with generic decal stripes. The rudder as well as the wing tips were painted in red, an official 363rd FS ID marking, as a counterbalance to the prominent nose, too.

The propeller spinner was painted free-handedly, in an attempt to match the checker decal's colors. Some hull panels were painted in a darker shade of aluminum to make the model look mo0re lively, and some post-shading with Humbrol Matt Aluminum Metallizer was done to improve that effect, too. Cockpit and landing gear wells were painted in a bright green zinc chromate primer tone.

Decals and markings were puzzled together from various sources. Finding a suitable 'B6' code fpr the 363rd FS was tough, but I was eventually able to scratch it from 'P9' codes from two Academy P-47D kits/sheets! BTW, the horizontal bar above the aircraft's individual letter was a real world marking for a second aircraft that bore this tactical code within the unit. The nose art/tag was also donated from an Academy P-47, the yellow font matches the rest of the unit colors well.

The anti glare panel and the propeller blades received a matt varnish coat, while the rest of the hull was covered with a mix of matt and a little semi-gloss varnish - contemporary Mustang photos from 1945 suggest that, despite being bare metal, the aircraft were not polished or shiny at all, yet the aluminum would have some reflections. I think that the final overall finish looks quite good. As a final step I added some light soot stains behind the exhausts and the machine gun orifices, and dry-brushed some silver on edges/areas where paint could have flaked in real life. Not much, but it adds to the overall impression of a used aircraft.

A more demanding project than meets the eye. Bashing the two Mustang kits for a fictional new one might have been a smart idea, but it turned out to be a nightmare because the two 1:72 Mustand Academy kits are totally incompatible. Additionally, the mods I made are VERY subtle, it takes a keen eye to recognize the lengthened hull, the modfied cowling and the cleaner tail. The three-blade prop is the most obvious thing, and with it, from certain angles, the P-51E reminds somewhat of a Yak-9? Probably due to the intake-less cowling and the (for a Mustang) unusual prop? The livery looks plausible and colorful, though. :D

Kevin, me, Nancy, and Emma in front of near nonexistent Vernal Fall